1. Field
The present invention relates to a water tank for a refrigerator and a refrigerator having the same, and, more particularly, to a water tank for a refrigerator capable of being easily manufactured, easily changing a storage capacity according to demands and withstanding a high water pressure and a refrigerator having the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
A refrigerator, which is disclosed in Korean Patent Registration No. 10-728340 (published on Jun. 13, 2007), includes a water supply device which allows drinking water to be taken out at a front surface of a door, or an ice making device which makes ice in a storage chamber. Further, the refrigerator includes a water tank which stores water in a cooled state to supply water into the water supply device or the ice making device.
FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a conventional water tank for a refrigerator. FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-sectional view taken along a line II-II′ of FIG. 1. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a conventional water tank 1 includes a reservoir portion 2 formed like a bent tube, an inlet 3 through which water is introduced into the reservoir portion 2 and an outlet 4 through which water is discharged from the reservoir portion 2. The inlet 3 and the outlet 4 are respectively disposed at opposite ends of the reservoir portion 2 such that water is introduced at one side and discharged at the other side.
When the water tank 1 is manufactured, the reservoir portion 2 having a bent tube shape is formed by heating a member having an empty inner portion and made of a resin material and pressing both sides of the member with a mold having a shape of the reservoir portion 2. In this case, the reservoir portion 2 is formed to contain water after molding by blowing gas into an inner space 2a of the reservoir portion 2.
Further, in a water supply system of the refrigerator employing the water tank, a water purification filter, a water supply valve and a water tank are sequentially connected to a water supply path led from a water supply source (a tap or the like) to a taking-out port through which drinking water is discharged. When the water supply valve is opened, water supplied from the water supply source is purified by the water purification filter and, then, the water sequentially passes through the water supply valve and the water tank to be discharged through the taking-out port.
Since the above-mentioned water tank for a refrigerator is molded by pressing both sides of a hollow member with a mold, as shown in FIG. 1, connecting portions 5 are formed between neighboring portions of the reservoir portion 2 to define a flow path of the reservoir portion 2. Accordingly, there is a large material loss in the molding of the water tank 1. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the connecting portions 5 are adhered to each other by a pressing molding method and portions 6 adjacent to the connecting portions 5 have a thin thickness. Accordingly, there is a problem that the water tank cannot withstand a high water pressure.
Further, since the above-mentioned water tank 1 for a refrigerator is molded as a single body, it is impossible to change a storage capacity and it is difficult to apply a common water tank to refrigerators having different capacities. Accordingly, it is required to separately produce a water tank having a large storage capacity and a water tank having a small storage capacity.
Further, in the water supply system of the refrigerator employing the above-mentioned water tank, since the water tank has a structure incapable of withstanding a high water pressure, the water supply valve is generally installed at an upstream side of the water tank such that a high water pressure is not applied to the water tank. However, in the water supply system, when the water supply valve is opened, water stored in the water tank is discharged directly to the taking-out port through the water supply path. Accordingly, there is a problem that water is irregularly taken out due to air or the like existing in the water tank. Further, since water stored in the water tank for a long period of time is directly discharged, there is a problem that discharged water has a smell of the water tank.